I think it’s fair to say that almost every person on earth desires to be what in his mind, he considers “happy”. I do not seek to imply a relative meaning for the term happiness, I just simply suggest it for the sake of expedient conversation. For a natural man, he is quite content to pursue his life of sin and debauchery completely unaware of the true joy and freedom in Christ. A natural man measures his “happiness” by his possessions, number of girls he’s slept with and number of parties he’s attended. If he considers himself to be an honorable man, he will seek his happiness from virtues which he mistakenly believes come from within.
Unfortunately for these lost souls, none of these things bring or represent true happiness. All of these things are temporal. And in the case of virtues, a man deceives himself if he believes he naturally contains any virtue. There is but one joy and one happiness to be found on this earth. And it is found in the sweet, indescribable regeneration and forgiveness that comes only by the new birth in Christ and infusion of the Holy Spirit.
I think too often we as Christians overlook this joy and pursue the pleasures that the world describes as “happiness”. We don’t feel good about our appearance, so we get plastic surgery to raise our self esteem. We don’t feel good about ourselves as a person, so we drink to escape from reality. We look at our spouse and then decide we aren’t attracted to them anymore, so we look for a relationship on the side. Your daughter gets pregnant and the family decides it’s an inconvenience, so you tell your daughter to get an abortion. You name it, the world has a “solution” to your problem. But every one of them gives a temporary fix and leaves us worse off than before. The world never addresses the problem itself and that is because it cannot see the problem. It has no idea what its own problem is because it sees only the visible things of this world.
This world and everybody in it, has a sin problem. And the worst part of this sin problem is that the world either cannot understand how sinful it is, or if it does understand, it does not care. This is because worldly people compare themselves to others around them. We Christians do this too. We compare ourselves to the morality of those around us so we can say, “Well, at least I’m not as bad as ________”. However, we never accept the wretchedness of our own selves and our own sin.
We also fall into the trap of sometimes thinking we are not or cannot be influenced by worldliness and that this message applies to those “sinners” who need to repent. I believe that too many Christians live under an umbrella of self-delusion that is robbing them of true sight of their sin and the total devastation of the thing. And it is a double blindfold. They are simultaneously deprived of the sweetness and beauty of Christ.
I don’t write this message to be hard or to declare anyone not a genuine Christian. I write it for those who have understood the truth of the gospel message. I write it for those who have experienced and known the joy of the Lord but, because of sin, they no longer feel it and they are no longer sure. They are no longer sure because they have spent far too long chasing the things of this world instead of pursuing God for their joy. If any man understands the value and sacrifice of Christ, he will do anything to have him. Jesus makes this point when he says,
44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.
Let us analyze this parable for a moment. In the first example, the man has found the treasure and for safe keeping has buried it in a field. This represents his inheritance in heaven at a later time. So, because he knew he had that treasure in the field, he sold all his possessions to pursue his greater treasure. That is, he divorced himself from worldly pursuits and sold all he had. He did this because eternal life with Jesus Christ was more valuable than anything else. Note that this is not something the man did out of sorrow or of obligation. Instead the scripture says “and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field.” You see, this man had joy in his heart, the true joy which can only come from Christ Jesus and the assurance of eternal life. The same idea is explained in verses 45-46.
Therefore, it is only those who seek Jesus above all else, above all worldly pleasures, who will find true joy. All else is temporal and a deception. Might I suggest that an excellent description of a Christian’s joy is found in the hymn “Amazing Grace”. Although this song is commonly sung at funerals, it is perhaps one of the most powerful songs on earth and it describes perfectly the joy a Christian experiences. Consider the lyrics…
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,That saved a wretch like me....I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now, I see.T'was Grace that taught...my heart to fear.And Grace, my fears relieved.How precious did that Grace appear...the hour I first believed.Through many dangers, toils and snares...we have already come.T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...and Grace will lead us home.The Lord has promised good to me...His word my hope secures.He will my shield and portion be...as long as life endures.When we've been here ten thousand years...bright shining as the sun.We've no less days to sing God's praise...then when we've first begun."Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me....I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now, I see. (end)
Let me suggest to you all that what we need today is a radical shift, another Great Awakening and return to the joy that only comes in Christ Jesus. I am tired of seeing such joylessness in our Christian brothers. We must no longer continue to “go through the motions” of worship if we do not believe and feel what we are saying. Our worship must not be empty words directed at an intellectual understanding of our great God. He is not fooled by such thoughtlessness and deceit. Our worship must be genuine. Jesus himself says “24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24.
Let us no more raise our hands to God and jump up and down and sing the songs if we are not worshipping from a truly redeemed and forgiven heart. If we are trying to impress our friends by our enthusiasm, we are shifting the focus from worship onto ourselves.
Conclusion
If your conscience condemns you for being worldly and not worshipping in spirit and in truth, that is a good sign that the Holy Spirit is working to chastise you and not harden and destroy you. God is patient with those whom he has called unto salvation. If I have describe you in the above, take this time right now in the privacy of your own home in front of your own computer and ask God to forgive you for worldliness and pursuing the pleasures of the world above pursuing Him. And if you have worshipped not in spirit and in truth, repent and ask for forgiveness and that God would declare you righteous in his eyes so that you may worship in spirit and in truth. If you pursue worldliness and do not worship in spirit and in truth and your conscience does not condemn you, I pray that God would open the eyes of your heart and that you may come to a place of repentance.
Soli deo Gloria!
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